The present invention relates to the fabrication of garments such as underwear garments, including panties and briefs, bathing suits, and any number of garments covering the lower part of a wearer's trunk from the waist downward, and having leg openings on opposite sides of a crotch portion.
Conventional methods for manufacturing underwear garments are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,985,965; 3,375,530; 4,031,568; 4,173,976; 4,615,051; 4,624,115; and 4,736,468.
As an example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,468 discloses knitting three fabric tubes, two of such tubes being somewhat similar in diameter and length and the third tube being substantially smaller in length and diameter than the other two tubes. Each of the two larger tubes may include an elastic band section at one end thereof. Each of the two larger tubes is slit lengthwise to form two generally rectangular panels. The small tube is slit lengthwise along one side, thereby forming a crotch panel. The crotch panel is then secured to the two larger panels, and the two larger panels are positioned in superposed relation and then secured together, such as by sewing a seam, along selected overlying edge portions. Prior to securing the two larger panels to each other, selected portions may be severed therefrom to define tapered or arcuate edges, and leg opening elastic may be applied thereto. Fabric in the areas where leg openings are cut is susceptible to runs.
Another conventional method of manufacturing an underwear garment comprises initially knitting a tubular panty blank on a circular knitting machine, slitting the tubular blank lengthwise, cutting away an arcuate segment of excess fabric from the areas which will form leg openings, folding the blank lengthwise to bring together the raw edges formed by slitting, and then sewing the raw edges together at opposite sides to complete the underwear garment. The blank, as it comes off the knitting machine, can be an hourglass configuration resulting from the knitting of a lengthwise region, or crotch, approximately midway between the opposite ends of the blank such that this region has a lesser diameter than the end regions of the blank. Such a mid-portion crotch having a lessened diameter can be created using a mock rib construction. Representative patents disclosing this methodology are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,985,004; 4,048,819; and 4,663,946. A conventional means of elasticating the leg openings is to sew a narrow width elastic band along the perimeter of each leg opening to provide a finished and elasticated edge.
Such a one-piece garment requires that half the tubular blank be produced with the knitting of the garment proceeding in the “wrong direction”. That is, opposing front and back portions of such a one-piece garment are folded over onto each other and the diameter increases from the narrowest point at the crotch area to the widest point at the waistband. As a consequence, the knitted loops are oriented oppositely, and thus proceed in the “wrong direction” with respect to the direction of knitting, in half of the finished product. If knitting is in the direction from front to back, the knitted loops in the back portion would be in the “wrong direction” when the front and back are folded onto each other. Likewise, if knitting is in the direction from back to front, the knitted loops in the front portion would be in the “wrong direction” when the front and back are folded onto each other. Knitted stitches in the “wrong,” or reverse, position with respect to the direction of knitting are susceptible to runs.
In other conventional approaches to underwear garment manufacture, including those in which garments comprise separate portions such as a front panel, a back panel, and a crotch panel, knitting may occur in one direction in a finished garment. That is, typically the front portion is knit first, followed by knitting the crotch portion, and finally the back portion is knit. The direction of knitting in conventional underwear garment manufacture is from front to back. Knitting from front to back does not allow use of techniques to reduce or prevent runs in the front portion (in the direction opposite the knitting direction) of a finished panty garment.
In the so-called “backward” or “reverse” procedure used in knitting, there is no practical “run guard” or “run-proof” stitch available to prevent a run in the direction of knitting from starting in the area where openings are cut across wales, such as in leg cut-outs, particularly in the front portion, of an underwear garment.
Thus, there is a need to provide a method for manufacturing garments that will reduce and/or prevent runs in garments. There is a need for a method for manufacturing that will reduce and/or prevent runs in underwear garments, particularly in the front portion of the garments.